World Cup Qualifiers

[Finest-Panthers]

10 hours ago, Borat said:

Youth soccer is too travel-happy (costly) and centered around getting college scholarships, not pro contracts. Not for nothing, few American parents would be willing to place their kid in a youth academy for a still-small chance of eventually making a living from the game, when such an investment may have detrimental effects on their kid's later life prospects (or even just his childhood enjoyment) -- for every Rashford making his way out of the academy (and into the money), there are many, many more who end up as plumbers, etc.

Totally agree about the over-politicization of the squad selection -- no clue why the old guard was brought out again -- Michael Bradley was the worst player on the field in T&T (Mark Bradley was a WR, I believe). 

Yes Michael Bradley. 

[Finest-Panthers]

2 hours ago, Still Brooklyn said:

The problem is that soccer isn't THE sport here. NFL is the most popular, one part of the culture only respects the NBA, and MLB is the grand ol past time. Soccer will never get the attention it needs here and it's a damn shame.

I see what youre saying but soccer is growing and has been for a long time. I was a soccer player, never great but i did play the game. There are plenty of soccer associations, youth soccer, high school tournaments, and then the college. These tournaments are packed. And you can see a ton of skilled individuals. Then you got guys like a Michael Bradley on your national team, and Im scratching my head. 

[Raskle]

This is why we don't have kids trying to go pro soccer in America. Really, there's nothing lucrative or secure past college, and that's only because they can use it to get a degree in whatever they want to pursue as a career:

The minimum salary for an MLS player is $36,500, compared to the next lowest of $420,000 for the NFL. That's 12.5 times greater to play football (and it shocked me to see hockey as the highest minimum salary, to be honest), so why would you push your kid to play soccer as a full time job, when there's a great chance he makes less per year than a high school teacher??

http://www.americansocceranalysis.com/home/2015/1/26/visualizingmlssalaries

 

If we truly want the US to have a competitive team in the World Cup sweepstakes, we need to have a better professional system in place. Charge a higher ticket price if you have to, push sponsorship and marketing to increase revenue streams, go out and drum up business, and if cities are failing to sell out their venues, make it so after time, they give up the rights to a team, and either relocate and/or relegate. You can't tell me that Portland, LA, Seattle, Miami, and NY don't fill their stadiums. If the other teams can't attain and maintain that success, then move them to places that do. In the end, it's better for the league, and the players. Have more money, attract more good players and athletes. It's really that simple!

 

With an influx of kids wanting to play soccer as a living, the talent pool in the US goes up overall. The more talent they can choose from, the better the US team. The more we can do with the US Team, the higher the salaries, the more likely parents would be okay to let their kids take part of academy programs, and the more we can develop the "rise through the ranks" mentality of say, the EPL and La Liga. It's pretty cyclical.

[Borat]

At Atlanta United game — tons of anti-Bradley/Altidore posters and chants, and it hasn’t even kicked off yet. 

[Borat]

Neither player can get within the neighborhood of the ball without a shower of boos — Altidore scored long after offsides whistle blew and crowd is not happy. 

[Shocker]

In the most shocking of developments Italy are out of the World Cup with a tie against Sweden today.  That is utterly amazing to me that a team of Italy's quality is out but European qualifying is no joke.  Man, amazing.

[Borat]

36 minutes ago, Shocker said:

In the most shocking of developments Italy are out of the World Cup with a tie against Sweden today.  That is utterly amazing to me that a team of Italy's quality is out but European qualifying is no joke.  Man, amazing.

Even though they won it all a ~decade ago, still not as embarrassing as the US's early exit. CONCACAF is a joke in comparison. 

Italy is just old, and got a little unlucky. 

[Shocker]

19 minutes ago, Borat said:

Even though they won it all a ~decade ago, still not as embarrassing as the US's early exit. CONCACAF is a joke in comparison. 

Italy is just old, and got a little unlucky. 

I wouldnt disagree but man, Italy is very talented.  Buffon is like my fav goalie ever so I hate to see them missing out.

[Raskle]

Tell em they can cop a squat on the couch next to Demps.

 

 

(No, really, this sucks...)

[Borat]

2 hours ago, Shocker said:

I wouldnt disagree but man, Italy is very talented.  Buffon is like my fav goalie ever so I hate to see them missing out.

Yeah they're good and their coach is a joke. But they went out to a respectable nation (and in a playoff), not T&T.